Fall/Winter 2013-14 Department of English ENGL 1000J: Literature, Genre, Context Classes: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:05-5:25 Loc.: Please confirm location on Carleton Central Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1004 Instructor: Dr M. Susan Birkwood Office: 1928 Dunton Tower Phone: 520-2600 ext. 2302 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:30-3:30 and by appointment Please note: This is not a creative writing course. It is a writing attentive* course. Course Description: Literary works have so very much to offer: beauty, sorrow, excitement, revolution, horror, humour, tolerance, hope. They also have much to say about the literary and rhetorical arts, along with the circumstances of their cultural production. This course is an introduction to active literary reading skills, and we will study works of poetry, prose, and drama. As we situate the texts in terms of their literary, historical, and cultural contexts, we will cross temporal and geographic borders while examining—in a wide variety of ways—the relationship of the individual to community and to the world beyond, along with the struggle for personal identity, autonomy, purpose, and dignity. Because this course is your introduction to literary studies at Carleton, one of my jobs is to help you to develop your critical vocabulary as we read texts from different regions, periods, and genres in order to build a strong base for your future studies. (Plenty of websites may offer quick interpretations; however, there really is no substitute for your own confident and well-supported oral and written analyses of texts.) I am well aware that students entering first year bring a range of experience and that the transition from high school to university has its challenges, especially in the area of essay writing. We will discuss academic writing, and you will have plenty of opportunities to hone your skills. Course Objectives: To situate these texts within their literary and historical contexts To examine both the form and content of the selected works of poetry, prose, and drama To develop students’ textual analysis skills and to build a vocabulary of analytical terms To develop students’ critical thinking, reading, and writing skills *English Department definition of “Writing Attentive”: Students will write at least one examination. Students will write a minimum of two graded writing assignments per term, in which they are expected to do the following: i. develop an argumentative thesis across an essay ii. develop complex ideas using correct and effective expression according to academic English practice 2 iii. use and cite evidence from primary texts appropriately iv. develop literary skills through close critical analysis of texts from a variety of genres v. develop fluency in genre-specific literary terms of analysis Students will be introduced to issues in secondary research (such as critical evaluation of and citation of secondary materials) A portion of class time will be devoted to developing and improving essay writing skills. Required Texts: Books are available at Haven Books, 43 Seneca Street, Ottawa (at Sunnyside, one block from campus) <http://www.havenbooks.ca/carletonsite/carletonhome-e.php> Broadview Introduction to Literature Eds. Lisa Chalykoff, Neta Gordon, and Paul Lumsden (Broadview) Katherine Acheson, Writing Essays about Literature (Broadview) ** Broadview texts are bundled to save you money Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes (Harper Collins) Miriam Toews, A Complicated Kindness (Knopf) Ann-Marie MacDonald, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) (Random House) Howard O’Hagan, Tay John (M&S) Guy Vanderhaeghe, The Last Crossing (M&S) The GCTC (The Great Canadian Theatre Company) will be mounting a production of Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) from November 26-December 15 http://www.gctc.ca/ Evaluation: Fall Term Short Essay (for early feedback) 5% Grammar quiz 5% Analysis / review of CUAG exhibition 10% End-of-fall-term essay 10% December exam 15% Participation 5% Winter Term Mid-term essay 15% Poetry analysis 10% Final exam 20% Participation 5% Please note: You must complete all of the term work and the final exam in order to be eligible to pass the course. This means that failure to complete the term work will result in a final grade of “F.” Term work must be submitted according to the assigned deadlines. (Given the 5% per day late penalty, assignments will not be worth anything 20 days after the deadline.) 3 There are policies in place to support students who require academic accommodation. (See below.) Should you, though, find yourself in circumstances that threaten to preclude your successful completion of an assignment, please contact me before the particular deadline. I would much rather work with you to find a solution than have you face the possibility of failing the course. I will grade print copies only of assignments, unless otherwise indicated; however, I ask that you submit electronic back-up copies through cuLearn of your analyses and essays. “Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by the instructor may be subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Dean.” (FASS Teaching Regulations) Opportunities for bonus marks outside of class: Earn up to 3% (added to your final grade) for attending study-skills workshops through Learning Support Services. http://www1.carleton.ca/sasc/learning-support-services/workshops/ (1% per workshop, with a limit of three workshops.) Attendance will be taken at the workshops and then forwarded to me. Further information is available in cuLearn. Receive one 2% addition to your percentage participation grade for attending a designated campus event or Ottawa International Writers’ Festival event. http://www.writersfestival.org/ Other opportunities for bonus marks will be announced in cuLearn and in class. Academic Accommodation: You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows: Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the Equity Services website: http://www2.carleton.ca/equity/ Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the Equity Services website: http://www2.carleton.ca/equity/ Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or [email protected] for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send me your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with me to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled exam (if applicable) at http://www2.carleton.ca/pmc/new-and-current-students/dates-and-deadlines/ You can visit the Equity Services website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed information on academic accommodation at http://www2.carleton.ca/equity/ General Policy on Major Essays (See individual assignment sheets for detailed expectations) Generally, essays are due in class on the day assigned; however, you each have a total of 3 grace days to use to best advantage when completing the end-of-term and mid-term essays (not the first short essay 4 or reviews /analyses). For instance, you could use 1 grace day when completing the first essay and 2 when completing the second. (In other words, you have a built-in extension should you experience hardware failures or other problems.) Otherwise, requests for extensions MUST be made BEFORE the due date. Busier-than-average schedules or computer problems do not ordinarily constitute good reasons for extensions. A penalty of 5% per calendar day will be applied to late assignments. (I will keep track of grace days used.) As already indicated, you will be required to submit print copies of your assignments for marking* and to provide electronic back-ups in cuLearn. However, you should still keep a copy of each assignment until the original has been returned, and be prepared to submit a copy immediately if need be. (*Call me a Luddite if you must, but I will only grade on paper.) Do not slide assignments under my office door. There is a drop-off slot outside of the English Department office (DT 1812). Essays are to conform to MLA format. Errors in documentation and formatting will cost you marks. You are expected to know the University’s policy and procedures regarding plagiarism.* (See the section on “Academic Integrity Standards” in the University Calendar.) Unacceptable paraphrasing does count as a